Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 23

Thread: Washing down

  1. #11
    New Member nthAirguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Minnesota
    Hammock
    Bridge
    Tarp
    HG Cuben
    Insulation
    Down
    Suspension
    Woopie slings
    Posts
    21
    Images
    1
    Glad I checked, scrap the dawn idea, and maybe for wool too, being I found out it's petro based. Just doesnt seem right washing something in oil. I was thinking washing/ cleaning was a regular procedure for restoring loft. I would just hand wash it and let soak for a while. If and when I will try something down specific or maybe just water. Thanks for the input.

  2. #12
    Banned
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    hershey, PA
    Hammock
    Warbonnet
    Tarp
    Zpacks Cuben
    Insulation
    Cottage Down
    Suspension
    webbing/buckle
    Posts
    1,190
    Images
    51
    be safe. follow the directions of the pros:

    http://www.westernmountaineering.com...-tips-and-care

  3. #13
    New Member nthAirguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Minnesota
    Hammock
    Bridge
    Tarp
    HG Cuben
    Insulation
    Down
    Suspension
    Woopie slings
    Posts
    21
    Images
    1
    Found the tag I cut off the quilt, I remember reading "wash with mild soap" and was thinking dawn(didn't realize dawn is a detergent). Thanks guys.
    So when cleaning; detergents are bad, dry cleaning is worse, mild natural soaps are good, but down specific soaps sound the best. I am still visioning how a clean smelling bag is being much warmer/cozier, so I may have to try washing. But more seriously I was thinking sweat /oils from the body can harm the lofting abilities of down.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #14
    Senior Member JohnSawyer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    San Diego, CA
    Hammock
    WB RidgeRunner
    Tarp
    8x10 DIY (speer)
    Insulation
    KAQ Lost River
    Suspension
    Straps
    Posts
    4,631
    Images
    108
    Quote Originally Posted by nthAirguy View Post
    Found the tag I cut off the quilt, I remember reading "wash with mild soap" and was thinking dawn(didn't realize dawn is a detergent). Thanks guys.
    So when cleaning; detergents are bad, dry cleaning is worse, mild natural soaps are good, but down specific soaps sound the best. I am still visioning how a clean smelling bag is being much warmer/cozier, so I may have to try washing. But more seriously I was thinking sweat /oils from the body can harm the lofting abilities of down.
    Skin oils and funk will eventually (over years) compromise the loft of down, but really, it's the fabrics that absorb 99% of this... it'll take years of being dirty before washing will help re-loft it...

    I recently bought an ancient REI down sleeping bag... It was quite dirty. Washing it in the bathtub really helped. My front-loading (XL) Dryer ran for about 4 hours with 6 tennis balls... Every 1/2 hour or so, I'd pull the bag out, and manually de-clump the globs of down. After it had reasonable loft, I hung it up for 24 hours in a warm garage. It really fluffed up after that... but it was filthy when I got it, and had been compressed for 6+ years...
    "Do or do not, there is no try." -- Yoda


  5. #15
    Senior Member KerMegan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Irving, TX
    Hammock
    not quite eno..
    Tarp
    10x12 DIY
    Insulation
    insultex+momentum
    Suspension
    DIY whoopie slings
    Posts
    2,338
    Images
    2
    Yay! I love a good rehab/salvage story..

  6. #16
    Senior Member JohnSawyer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    San Diego, CA
    Hammock
    WB RidgeRunner
    Tarp
    8x10 DIY (speer)
    Insulation
    KAQ Lost River
    Suspension
    Straps
    Posts
    4,631
    Images
    108
    Quote Originally Posted by KerMegan View Post
    Yay! I love a good rehab/salvage story..
    It has a new life as a TQ:
    "Do or do not, there is no try." -- Yoda


  7. #17
    Senior Member taylo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    South Alabama
    Hammock
    Darien UL
    Tarp
    Tadpole
    Suspension
    NCAA
    Posts
    707
    I bought a stealth topquilt from Pan not too long ago that he said had been washed about a dozen times. It was like new with excellent loft. I'm sure he really knows what he's doin so I'd ask him.

  8. #18
    New Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Midwest City, OK
    Hammock
    DIY 1.9 "The Mantis"
    Tarp
    Wal-Mart Special
    Insulation
    RAB Quantum 400E
    Suspension
    Whoopies 'n straps
    Posts
    24
    How many "sleeps" would you say a down item should reasonably handle before a wash is needed? People say "Years" but I used to only use my sleeping bag a couple times a year, so that might be only 10-20 nights spent IN the bag in that time. I've already slept in my new down bag for a week, so I just want to make sure...

  9. #19
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Milton, PA
    Hammock
    Hennessey Explorer Ultralight
    Tarp
    Hennessey Hex
    Insulation
    HH Super Shelter
    Suspension
    ring buckle
    Posts
    7,945
    Images
    101
    When even your dog won't roll on it any more it might be time to consider washing it.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

  10. #20
    JCHaywire kc7fys's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Hammock
    Warbonnet Blackbird
    Tarp
    DIY 4-Season, HG
    Insulation
    DIY UQ Down
    Suspension
    Whoopie Slings/WBB
    Posts
    209
    Images
    7

    Pro vs. DIY Down Bag Wash?

    I just got a killer Craigslist deal on a vintage Eddie Bauer subzero bag and bivy sack/sleep pad combination. The sleep pads fit in pockets in the bivy, but they were heavy OC foam--bunk. The bag, though, it's a big, downy beauty. It has been compressed for literally decades, though. I'm thinking of cleaning it, but dry cleaners are saying 25+tax. I have a bottle of Nikwax Down Wash here, but their website says, for 3-4 season bags, that only professionals should do the job. Perhaps that's due to the physical size of the job. So... should I go the bathtub route with this? I want to give it a wash to make it my own and possibly refresh the loft of this pretty yellow/red bag. Suggestions on pro vs. DIY?
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Haywire is my trail name, but I can't change it. Ha.

  • + New Posts
  • Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. washing down
      By wanderlust in forum Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
      Replies: 3
      Last Post: 05-05-2014, 16:31
    2. washing a pl uq
      By mountainhanger in forum Bottom Insulation
      Replies: 9
      Last Post: 07-23-2012, 02:58
    3. Washing IX?
      By SteelerNation in forum Top Insulation
      Replies: 12
      Last Post: 10-23-2011, 01:26
    4. Washing an ENO
      By Big Jim Mac in forum Eagles Nest Hammocks
      Replies: 8
      Last Post: 09-03-2010, 20:12

    Tags for this Thread

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •